Is winter cycling really ok?

amityweb

A year ago I left my house to commute to work and 5 seconds later my wheels slid from under me on black Ice and I landed on my hip bone and was out of action for weeks. This has made me very worried about riding in 0 and below conditions.

But a bit of googling reports plenty of advice on winter riding and on this forum. Some include wider tyres, lower pressure. It seems winter riding is fine and common. Why do they not express my concern?

So do wider and lower pressure tyres really keep you safe? I mean, it was invisible black ice I couldn’t see it to slow down and not turn on it. My car slips on that. Surely the bike still will? I just don’t have any confidence in a road bike NOT slipping on Ice.

Does anybody have any reassurance? Do you cycle on Ice in winter and feel safe?

My commute is 12 miles there, 12 miles back, I can hardly ride slow it will take me hours. It’s via hills and country lanes. It’s dark coming home. I share the car with my wife and she wants it today so I’ll probably work from home but winter ends in a few months.

If you don’t cycle in winter out of interest what alternative excercise do you do? I have a bad ankle that prevents me jogging much and no swimming or gyms near here, not that I’ll have the time which is why I commute for excercise. If I don’t cycle I may have to not excercise for a few months.

fat daddy

when its proper ice on the roads I break out a bike with spiked tyres .... when you ride it sounds like frying bacon ... but they work.

yes if you are going over sheet black ice you still run the high risk of falling if you corner or brake suddenly or with force, BUT, in a straight line or gentle turn you dont go down.

Last year I was happily riding to work and going around a car that was stuck in the middle of the back road spinning wheels tying to get up the hill .... and doing 15 mph on the main road where other cyclists were wobbling all over the place in the slush at 4mph (guestimate)

Other than that yes winter is dangerous, when the bike goes over, it goes over quick and crap all you can do about it ... I suppose you could wear pads, but lets face it, they are bulky and you die of heat stroke.

Lower pressure in tyres and fatter rubber only help with grip on wet, cold roads .. they do nothing on ice and snow

sloppyschleckonds

Unless you are communting, don't ride when its icy

kingrollo

SloppySchleckonds wrote:

Unless you are communting, don't ride when its icy

Pretty much this - in fact I wouldn't commute !

If its icy I don't go out - or go out later. In some ways though I like winter cycling - there is less traffic on the roads - when you get the bike out the garage - the thought crosses your mind "wtf am I doing" - then you get get going steam comes out your mouth - but then when you get a home a couple of hours later your warmed through. Good...

pblakeney

No ice for me.
If it is icy then I revert to a turbo for exercise (or as said, go out later) and the car for transport.

tangled_metal

Lots of ppl ride in winter, but the question is how many ride your route?

I personally think winter cycling is OK but you have to know your route well and certainly pick it well.

For example my partner once went for a ride from her flat at the time. The ride took her down a busy country lane with a dip in the road at the bottom of a bit of a downhill. It had black ice and she passed a cyclist down because of it. She could have gone another way and not seen that.

I commute on a busy bus route in winter. No ice! Seriously I've never seen ice only snow and slush on a bad winter's snowfall. That is except on the pedestrian / cyclist bridge over the river. That's usually a bit frosted but has a grippy surface so I've yet to slip.

Coming off that bridge is the only two truly dodgy sections but I'm going very slowly there and in winter I wear a helmet because I'm likely to do a slow speed manoeuvre which I'd I slip would be close to back helmet test (let's not go to helmet topic). I've never slipped there but 20m along I have another slow turn to get onto the minor road to work (last stretch in). It was icy there but I'd never noticed it before that hurt a bit and I needed to straighten the bars, shifters and put the chain back on. Oh and my lights fell off. Gloves out broke the fall so I wasn't hurt. Still did the jump up quickly and look around thing to make sure nobody saw me!

Seriously though look at your route. Try to pick bus routes. They take priority with gritters after the motorways and trunk roads I believe. My route is 95% bus route.

Other than that I guess spiked tyres. Tyre up for winter like we should do with cars (a lot of Europe they legally have to with cars). If we got the tyres for winter then I reckon you quite possibly well be better off.

Then it's confidence. I'm guessing you need that back for winter cycling after your fall. Understandable. I'm still very cautious after my last spill a winter ago and that's without any real injury.

Best of luck and happy cycling. Remember cycling in a blizzard means you've got the roads to yourself! No. More close passes and dodgy drivers!

fat daddy

Tangled Metal wrote:

Seriously though look at your route.

good advice .... thinking about it, the only ice and frost covered roads on my commute are the quiet back roads .... get out on the main roads where the traffic is and the road are clear ..... just full of frost melting traffic.

Moonbiker

Iv'e cycled on in ice in a blizzard across frozen lake on normal 23c road tyres, but thats not very sensible.

clickrumble

I don't have to go out when it's icy so I don't. However I found that there have been occasions when I've gone out thinking that it's a nice frost free morning and found ice on the roads. There are some places that I now know around here that are possible "frost pockets" where cold air collects overnight to form a local frost, I keep a mental note of where these are and I'm particularly cautious when approaching them, or even avoid them.

fat daddy

Moonbiker wrote:

Iv'e cycled on in ice in a blizzard across frozen lake on normal 23c road tyres, but thats not very sensible.

Is this Strava speak for "Ive cycled on a coldish morning with a slight headwind past the local Iceland on Marathon Tyres"

slowbike

Winter cycling in the UK is absolutely fine - most of the time.

Only once in 5 years have I turned back due to ice - the back wheel slipped 3 times in the first mile on the main road (bus route) - so I went back. I should've fitted my studded tyres/wheels for that one.

The biggest risk is overnight rain/shower followed by clear skies.

Other than that, take it easy and check your routes.

Lower pressures and wider tyres are ok - but not the answer - I've commuted with loads of ice all over the road in a snow "storm" - we came the back roads too - was a bit dicey, but lowering the saddle helped. My friend was on a trike with 20mm tyres - very stable and he was able to easily climb the hill where cars (and busses) were stuck - bit of a nutter because he didn't need to climb the hill - and came back down when we'd got to the top - there was a lady complaining her brakes had failed and her car was in the hedge ... no dear .. it's ice and snow ... you have to slow down and drive carefully!

The only times I don't ride is where there's snow piled up to the side and just the car tracks - because it's main road - the cars wouldn't be able to safely overtake me unless I pulled over - so it's just easier not to ride.

Tashman

kingrollo wrote:

SloppySchleckonds wrote:

Unless you are communting, don't ride when its icy

If its icy I don't go out - or go out later.

I did this at the beggining of this year, not commuting but just getting out. Ended up with 3 broken ribs I now have invested in a turbo for the nasty weather and just hope to get out over the daylight hours if the road surface and life allows

cycleclinic

use grippy tyres or spiked tyres when it is really icy. many winter tyres are simply not very grippy in the cold therefore you slip.

Matthewfalle

Of course it's ok. Just use your brain and don't ride when it's icy that you're going to fall off.

mrfpb

amityweb wrote:

If you don’t cycle in winter out of interest what alternative excercise do you do? I have a bad ankle that prevents me jogging much and no swimming or gyms near here, not that I’ll have the time which is why I commute for excercise. If I don’t cycle I may have to not excercise for a few months.

Have you had any medical advice on how to exercise your bad ankle? I'm just thinking that walking would be at least a base exercise to keep you fit if you're not up to running. I tend to run more in the winter, if I can get out in daylight. Less time is required for a good workout. Brisk walking seems to have the same calorie burn per minute as cycling, so is safer if I feel the need to exercise but don't feel safe to ride. I've never tried Nordic walking, but some friends of mine (age 60ish) have taken to it as they got older - they have been enthusiastic hikers for years.

craker

fat daddy wrote:

you still run the high risk of falling if you corner or brake suddenly or with force, BUT, in a straight line or gentle turn you dont go down.

Broke my hand a couple of years back riding in a straight line on ice... bike just kept going from under me. Got overtaken several times by riders who were having no such problems (23mm tyres fixed gear probably isn't the right thing for ice).

Fat tyres, better route choice for me whens it looks icy.

Edit:

A&E on that icy morning was packed with cyclists, walkers, occupants of cars from RTAs. Icy mornings aren't safe whatever form of transport you choose. 8)

redvision

As others have said, any risk of ice and it's not worth the risk. Just train indoor that day if you have a turbo, or go for a mountain bike ride if you are determined to get outside.

joey54321

Get offroad?

fenix

Black ice is weird though. I've ridden past the local fishing ponds - not a trace of ice - then hit black ice and lost a lot of skin.

Also ridden quite happily for 20 miles or so only to hit a patch of completely icy roads. Very localised.

redvision

Fenix wrote:

Black ice is weird though. I've ridden past the local fishing ponds - not a trace of ice - then hit black ice and lost a lot of skin.

Also ridden quite happily for 20 miles or so only to hit a patch of completely icy roads. Very localised.

Yep, this is the issue. And for this reason it's why I would advise anyone to avoid riding when there is a risk of ice, unless absolutely necessary - in which case to always stick to the main roads as they should have been treated (gritted).

step83

I send out my man servant to grit the roads for me prior to my ride.

Course that's a lie, wages alone for unsociable hours would be crippling.

Tyre pressure will do nothing on ice. same as tread on tyres, ice don't get a crap about that itll still be slippery just ride sensibly an youll be fine.

grenw

If it's for pleasure, get on the mountain bike

If it's for fitness/training, get on the turbo.

milemuncher1

Winter riding is exactly the same as summer riding, except you have to be aware of some added risks. I was out on a ride this morning ( still am actually) and there was lot of ice about, I’m used to riding with ice, or risk of ice at this time of year. Unless it’s a great big sheet of ice, right across the road, it’s no big deal, I just try to stick to major routes, which tend to be more likely to be treated, stay away from the edges of the road, slow down a bit more than usual for corners, and wear a few more bits of clothing. There’s no point whatsoever in reducing tyre pressures, purely to try and mitigate for ice, it won’t help at all, if you hit ice, you are most likely going to deviate from your intended line ( at best) whether your tyres are at full pressure or not. There are some advantages to running lower pressures ( more to do with reducing jarring if you hit something like a pothole, you don’t spot if it’s dark ) for example, but it won’t help you at all regarding ice. TL;DR, #5 #9, or take up fishing.

Alex99

Don't mess with ice. You can he half way through thinking "surely, that's just a damp patch..." and you're on the deck. Not often, but sooner or later. If you have to, then spiked tyres.

Alex99

redvision wrote:

Fenix wrote:

Black ice is weird though. I've ridden past the local fishing ponds - not a trace of ice - then hit black ice and lost a lot of skin.

Also ridden quite happily for 20 miles or so only to hit a patch of completely icy roads. Very localised.

Yep, this is the issue. And for this reason it's why I would advise anyone to avoid riding when there is a risk of ice, unless absolutely necessary - in which case to always stick to the main roads as they should have been treated (gritted).

Perhaps with a commute you'd get a very good feel for when it's OK. Otherwise, be very careful. There are some valleys in the Chilterns that can feel 10 deg C colder than everywhere else.

Bordersroadie

Re sub zero riding:

It doesn't matter how fat or low pressure your tyres are, one frozen puddle on a shady bend could put you in hospital.

This is what happened to me a few years back. I now have studded tyres for icy commutes. They grip to sheet ice, black ice and hard snow.

Without them I would never risk zero or below riding.

If it's training or hard exercise you want, get a smart trainer and subscribe to a training app.

davep1

I get nervy if it gets down to 3 degrees or less. I used to ride more, then one winter I had two crashes due to black ice. The first I was doing about 15 mph and just slid along the road, hardly any damage to me or my bike. The second I was on a lane waiting for a car to pass before I turned a junction, hardly moving. Once the car had passed me, I turned and went down instantly...and broke my wrist. 5 weeks of not cycling was grim! Black ice can catch you out any time, and unless you are a cat, it will be difficult to fall in a way that doesn't do some real damage.
So these days when it gets down to three degrees I take the mtb out. I am lucky in that I can ride to work on or off road, and in some ways riding off road is better when there is proper frost and ice. You certainly get less splashback from mud and cow poop! Fat MTB tyres make a lovely noise on frost or ice, and you learn to ride a slightly different way. You can lose the front wheel still, and it will hurt, touch wood I haven't yet had it happen and broken any bones.

handful

I don't ride on icy roads any more. I came a cropper a couple of years ago on black ice on my full sus mtb and that was around a week after my OH did exactly the same thing. When it happened to her I told her it was because she wasn't paying attention and was not a very good rider. When it happened to me she got her own back! Even if you are wary of it if it's proper black ice with even the slightest movement you're on the floor before you know it. I know my limitations and when there is blue numbers in the forecast I use the turbo and Trainer Road.

kingrollo

Lets be clear though there are plenty of ice free days in winter.

stueys

Some of the guys in my club ride right the way through the winter, they switch routes to major roads when it’s icy on the assumption that they will be gritted. Having said that I also have a frient who managed to break a hip coming off on ice and landing on the curb.

Lower pressure and wider tyres give you more traction, it’s worth doing in winter I run 28’s and take 15-20 psi off. But none of that will help on ice. Personally if the temp goes near freezing overnight I give outside a miss and sit on the turbo. From my perspective it’s not worth the risk of hitting a patch of ice and coming off. I’m not commuting so it’s an easy choice for me to make.

joshuagame94

Wider tyres like MTB ones that are 2.0 and above will offer better grip on ice. But untimatly of it is really Icey on roads it does not matter what tyres are used.